While the present invention has been designed primarily for use in securing protective tubular screens about trees for reforestation purposes, called "tubing" in the art, it is to be understood that such a specific use is only illustrative of the general field of similar applicability. However, because the genesis of the present invention is for use with reforestation projects, the following exposition will rely thereon.
Care must be exercised in the planting of young trees or seedlings with regard to replanting of forest areas. Specifically, animals, in particular deer, injure and kill such young trees or seedlings. It is, therefore, necessary to protect them, and the usual manner is to place a seamless tube of resin mesh about the seedlings. To insure that the tubes remain in position, two metal stays or stakes are inserted through the lower portions of each tube diametrically opposite from one another, and each is driven into the ground. Such an operation is manually performed. To facilitate insertion of the stays in the mesh, they are provided with an undulated screwlike configuration so that they can be woven through the lower mesh portion of the tube. Tubes thus prepared with the stays woven in position are then inserted over the tree, and the stays are pushed or thrust down into the ground by the palm of the inserter's hand. To protect the palm from injury, all manner of protection has been used, including gloves, leather wrapped with tape, rocks, and even bottle caps, which are wrapped into the palm of the hand. Thus, the hand is protected from the metal stays and their twisting or rotating movement as they are inserted into the ground. Such movement quickly wears a hole through the protection; for example, two days through a relatively hard rock.
Using the above protective devices, an average worker could plant approximately 50 to 80 trees per hour, the variation depending upon the particular individual, how hard that individual worked, and the particular manner of hand protection used.